Ideas on HP stream 11 (only $200 windows 8 laptop)

Hi everyone.  Because my own laptop is beginning to wear down, I have decided to look for other windows 8 laptops that suit my own needs price ranges.  I will attempt to do as many profiles of these budget laptops that I possibly can, all under $400.  Today I start with the HP stream 11.


The cheap:


HP stream 11 Laptop: $199.99 off of hp.com

If you are to buy this laptop, be sure to realize what you are paying for.  The just under three pound device is meant to be on the cloud at almost all times, so don't expecting to be gaming on this thing.  Because of this, the computer only has thirty two gigabytes of memory, which may seem a lot at first, but is used quickly.  The laptop itself only comes in two colors, a royal blue, and hot pink, which just adds on to the idea that this is not exactly a computer that should be put to work.  While it may seem like my consensus of the computer is completely negative, that is far from true.  As I mentioned, this is a budget laptop, and it really is cheap.  Aside from the low two hundred dollar price tag, a free year of Microsoft Office 365 is included (Word, Excel, Powerpoint, Etc.), in addition to a free terabyte (one thousand gigabytes) on the Microsoft Cloud, an insane amount of space.  The type of consumer that should buy a computer like this would be a relatively young (or older) person (hence the low price) that often works on either google drive or another service and could use the Microsoft cloud, and does not use any heavy duty software.  It works great as a first computer,  or as one that would only sustain light use.

Cheap plans Using AT&T service

Hello everyone, I know it has been a while.  It has occurred to me many times, through the laughs and concerns of my peers and others that I talk to referring these many companies that using Sprint service may seem to be a negative aspect of the plans.  While I do not agree with this idea, I must accommodate to those of you who are "Anti-Sprint."  If I can't find you cheap plans that you enjoy, then what am I doing here?  For this reason, I decided to find a plan with cheap service using AT&T service.

This fantastic carrier that you have all been waiting for is known H2O wireless.  If you are a New Yorker like myself, you may have noticed their ads lingering in the subway.  If not, I would love to inform you about them.  They are known as an MVNO, or a mobile virtual network operator.  This is the equivalent of using another carrier's cell phone towers for their service.  H2O on the other hand, unlike many other of these carriers has decided to use AT&T towers rather than Sprint towers, which seem to be less expensive overall.  You might ask, what is the advantage to switching to H2O, "why do I not stay with AT&T if they are essentially the same company?" The answer is found when examining the prices.

While Pay as You Go options are available, it seems to be more worth while to opt into a monthly unlimited plan.  These plans range from $30-$60.  The only difference between them is the amount of data included, which ranges from 500 megabytes to unlimited.  I personally feel that 500 megabytes (thirty dollars per month) per month is enough for most smartphone users, and if not, a gigabyte (the forty dollar plan) definitely will suffice.  In addition, it is most cost efficient to bring ones own cell phone.  If you feel as if your phone is outdated, I suggest that you buy an AT&T compatible smartphone off of Glyde.com, because H2O does have a bring your own phone policy.  On glyde, a no contract iPhone 5s sells for about $250.  If you find this expensive, the amount that you save per month is extremely high when compared to AT&T or any other large company and you should save that money back within half a year.  Again, if you are interested, I highly advise you research H2O, it is a company worth looking into.

Best Tablet Plan!!!

Hey everybody, as I start high school, I find that I spend more and more time doing school work,(ranging anywhere from one to four hours a night) and less time researching what I love, technology. Recently, I have noticed my kindle fire is beginning to have many issues, and thought that I might buy myself a tablet in the near future.  While I doubt that I would do so with a data plan, the idea piqued my interest and I searched the internet looking for a plan.  Here is what I found:

On MetroPCS, I found that there are multiple ranges of tablet plans, from fifteen to thirty dollars.  I feel as if the fifteen dollar plan is the best option for a tablet, as it is the cheapest and gives by far the most data over all carriers.   For fifteen dollars a month, you receive access to unlimited 3G data, with up to one gigabyte of 4G data.  As the plans increase in price, the amount of 4G data increases.  In addition, you will receive unlimited texting on this tablet.  Finally, if you are to already have a MetroPCS phone plan, the cost of the monthly services are five dollars less.  All of this service is on the T-Mobile network (MetroPCS uses them for their phone lines).

There is only one down side in particular to this plan and that would be the tablet itself.  There are actually multiple options for tablet devices to use on this plan, however they are quite peculiar.  Only one of them is actually a tablet, the rest are smartphones that when activated, would not have calling.  Some of these available smartphones are actually high-end, but we are attempting to buy a tablet here.  The one available tablet costs one hundred fifty dollars, and is called the Alcatel One Touch Pop 7.  The tablet itself is not a piece of garbage, even though I may have introduced it to sound that way.  It has Android 4.2 (Jelly Bean) and a 1.3 GHz dual core processor.  It includes a camera and the Google Play store (the default android app store used in devices such as  most samsung, motorola, lg, and htc devices).  Another negative aspect of the tablet is that it must be bought in store.  However, I have almost one hundred MetroPCS locations within a five mile radius of where I live, although I do live in a Metropolitan Area.  Regardless, MetroPCS is a nationwide company and therefore there are stores all around the country.  I must admit, if you are looking for a budget  tablet plan for either work or personal reasons, this is the way to go.

Freedom Pop - Plans for an iPhone lover and those who want to save big time!

             Hey again everybody.  I'm sure by now if you've read my most recent article, you're aware that I'm not a fan of Apple.  However, I'm about to discuss with Apple fans a cell service that you all may have been waiting for.  I believe that I once mentioned Freedom Pop in regards to a certain iPod touch hotspot a few months back.  Today, I plan on showing you all a general overview of the business.  Hopefully you all enjoy.

            First, I want to discuss Freedom Pop hotspots.  Freedom Pop offers Sprint 4g LTE on wireless hotspots that can connect to all of your wifi enabled devices.  These hotspots (currently on sale) range from forty dollars to one hundred forty dollars.  The three options are the important part of the hotspots. They have 4GB a month for thirty dollars, 2GB for twenty dollars, and 500 MB per month for no charge (yes you read that correctly).  Any addition, any data not used is rolled over for the next month.  Basically, for forty dollars, you can get 500 extra megabytes of data per onto for all of your devices.

           Finally, the part that you have all been waiting for, their cell phone plans.  Freedom Pop currently offers four different phones.  Each phone is certified pre-owned.  The models are the Samsung Victory 4G LTE for $120.  Next, there is the Samsung Galaxy S III, which is currently on sale for $199.  After that, is the Samsung Galaxy S IV, priced at $299.  Last, the iPhone 5, for $399.  While these phones may seem expensive and you might doubt that I am sane, you will change your mind when you hear the plans.  Not surprisingly, Freedom Pop has yet another free plan which includes 200 minutes, 500 texts, and 500 MB data.  Most likely, that will not be enough for you if you  use your phone moderately, or often.  The next plan is a one year contract plan, in which for $6.67 a month, you have unlimited, talk, text, and 500 MB of data.  Remember, you can always add 500 MB more per month if you just spend the $40 on a wireless hotspot.  The plan after this is the same exact thing, but no contract, and costs $11 a month.  The final plan is what I imagine that most people use, which is unlimited everything with data speeds lowered after 1 GB.

           So you have all of the information.  Now, how can you take advantage of it.  If you want the I phone, you can buy it for $400.  Take the 1 year contract plan, and pay $6.67 a month.  You can then buy the $40 hotspot.  You pay $520 a year.  On AT&T, that same plan, phone and all, would cost $780 (And you would have to stick with them for one more year).  Overall, choosing Freedom Pop, which uses Sprint service, can help you to save $260 a year.  Oh, and if by chance you are willing to use an Android, you will save even more.

New Apple Devices and Announcements

In spirit of the arrival of the iPhone 6 and 6 plus, I felt that it was necessary to talk about Apple's most recent developments.  I am not very fond of the iPhone for multiple reasons.  While I acknowledge that it is indeed a good phone, I do not consider making the device thinner and larger with a better display is  serious improvement.  However, I suppose you are entitled to your own belief about Apple's progress since with their phones.  What I believe is more important about Apple's most recent innovations is the announcement of Apple Pay, and the revealing of the Apple Watch.  Apple Pay, is simply the idea that credit cards are now obsolete.  Using your iPhone, you will be capable of storing any credit or debit card and with a single swipe, pay at stores.  Certain chains such as McDonald's and Citi have already adapted to the idea, and will be accepting Apple Pay.  Another platform for Apple Pay is the Apple Watch, in which your Credit Cards will be loaded to your wrist.  While the concept is intriguing, I still wonder if Apple Pay will be accepted in most chains around the country, and if one day in the far future, Credit Cards and cash will no longer be used.  This brings me to my next topic, the Apple Watch.  Because of the iPhone 6 and 6 plus' humongous display of 4.7 and 5.5 inches respectively are not only going to be hard to fit in the pocket, but a pain to get out of your bag.  This is the reason for the potential sales for the Apple Watch.  Similar to Android Wear, the Apple Watch is truly meant for answering emails, texts, and phone calls.  It has certain other interesting features, which include Apple Pay, Maps (GPS), Sending sketches, remote controlling a camera, Siri, playing music on its own, stocks, and of course, telling time.  Just looking at the Apple Watch and its features, I feel at has a very bright future, with their first attempt being aesthetically pleasing and looks to fulfill all of the purposes of a smart watch.  As I stressed earlier, while I am often against Apple, I must admit I that am extremely excited for their upcoming technology releases.

Android Wear

Hey Guys, I apologize for the excruciatingly long wait between my posts.  Obviously, my last post was mentioning the arrival of Android Wear, and I would be a bit of an idiot to not follow up on that.  So far we have seen the arrival of three of these watches, and four more have been announced.  So far, Android Wear's first attempt seems to have been a futile one, with most consumers either buying the Moto 360, or waiting for a better version in the future.  Both the LG G watch and Samsung Galaxy Gear Live were not highly anticipated, and did not receive incredible reviews.  It seems the largest problem with the earliest generation of Android powered smart watches is battery life, because apparently having to charge every day is a problem.  As for future devices, I mostly anticipate the LG G watch R.  It is yet another circular watch, and looks surprisingly more like a watch than the Moto 360.  I strongly advise that you look up a picture of it.  On the other hand, the Asus Zen Watch also interests me.  It has a nice design, but the more important aspect is the price.  It ha been confirmed that the price will be under $199 , which is considerably lower than any other Android Wear device.  It is also important to notice that the price of the LG G watch is lowered to $179.99 from $229.99 temporarily.  The last two watches, the Sony Smart watch 3 and the Samsung Galaxy Gear S seem relatively generic.  While I must admit that both of their designs are extremely elegant, I doubt that I will consider buying them in the future.  Considering that we are on the topic, I also feel that it is important to mention the Sony Smart Band.  In terms of design, it looks similar to the Samsung gear fit. However, it does look thinner and more comfortable.  While this band doesn't have all the features of an Android Wear Watch, it seems good for somebody who would like the basics of a smart watch, which is essentially answering calls and receiving notifications.  I am also intrigued as to if Sony will make it compatible with all Android device or only their own.  If you are interested in the Apple Watch, I will make a post in the near future about it and the new generations of iPhones.  See you all in a bit!

Android Wear is Coming Soon!

Sorry for the inactivity, I've been a bit busy with work.  But I feel the need to talk about android wear is extremely important.  As I'm sure you know, the smart watch revolution is at full speed.  Recently we have seen the arrival of the Samsung Galaxy Gear, the announcement of the iWatch, and the Pebble Steel.  However, Android has recently announced that there will soon be watches powered by the Android operating system.  Two versions of the watch, called the Moto 360 and the LG g have already been announced.  These watches show text messages, hangout messages, email, twitter notifications, location (GPS and distance from a certain point), and sports scores.  So far these watches look promising, as there are many options on the phone, including voice command so that you can reply to messages.  The Moto 360 has looked to improve its aesthetics, and look much like a normal watch.  The LG g, on the other hand, looks like a conventional smart watch.  I look forward to the arrival of Android and hope to be able to test them out.